Mercedes SLA Roadster looks likely

As car manufacturers start to look with fresh eyes at smaller, cheaper cars, reports from Germany confirm that Mercedes is close to committing to the SLA, a small Roadster to be based on the next generation A-Class platform. The original SLA concept was shown at Detroit in 2000, and aimed to slot in beneath the SLK. But at that time Mercedes didn’t have a suitable platform on which to base the car, and the project was shelved.

Lexus RX 450h Advance added to RX range

The Lexus RX 450h Advance (pictured) added to the RX range Lexus has added a new version of the hybrid RX 450h to their range of offerings in the UK – the Lexus RX 450h Advance – but they’re not exactly pushing the boat out to promote it. The details we got from Lexus tell us that the Advance is based on the RX Luxury, but with the addition of extra kit and just one photo (above). Those extras amount to a new front bumper that’s half regular R and half RX F-Sport for a slightly more butch look, LED headlights and Lexus’s I-AFS auto-adaptive system that makes the lights move according to steering input.

Cluttered-up cars failing MOT test

CLUTTERED-UP cars are causing thousands of drivers to fail the MOT test. Some vehicles are not passing the test as the screenwash is not topped up, the survey by Whatcar.com found. Test centres are also failing vehicles as they have stickers on the windscreen that block the driver's view, while some drivers even turn up for a test sporting no number plates.